Living Pigments
by Julia Moser
My name is Julia Moser. I'm a fashion tech student at Art University Linz/Austria with an MA in textile design. I've been working with bacteria strains to dye textiles for about a year now. My focus lies in combining this beautiful sustainable alternative to traditional dyeing techniques with state-of-the-art technologies and traditional techniques to achieve the production of controlled pattern designs, based on the growth of bacteria.
At the moment my focus lies on dyeing yarns and threads for further use in weaving, knitting and sewing. My mission is to expand the applications of bacterial dyes, to be able to compete with other dyeing methods.
Synthetic dyeing processes used by the fashion industry are known to be toxic and require large amounts of water. Living pigments offer a water-conserving alternative.
Thread dyed using bacteria.
Fabric woven from bacteria-dyed yarn.
Samples of bacterially dyed textiles